This Or That (9/24/2015)

Everybody loves binary decisions, especially wrestling fans! In This Or That, we’ve forced ourselves to choose between two options that relate to wrestling.

Over four questions, @TimWelcomed, @JoeySplashwater and @TomBlargh will have to choose one of two options and give their reasoning on each of their choices. You can then vote on which one you’d choose, giving you the false impression that you’re somehow involved and we care about your opinion chance to join the conversation!

Superior wings?

Both of these guys can take a hike, buddy! The Kane/Rollins stuff was inevitable and Rollins still has a long career ahead of him to wrestle much of the roster. I don’t want to see this match but whatever. Way too much of Lesnar’s run has been spent on him wrestling the wrong people and that is a travesty. My main three dream opponents on the roster for him are Owens, Cesaro, and Daniel Bryan. We will probably never ever get any of those. Big Show vs Lesnar has history but even then it was dull. This just sucks.

Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar at MSG

Joey:

Brock Lesnar wrestles so few times that having him face Big Show yet again is incredibly frustrating. When it was announced Lesnar would be wrestling at MSG, I had high hopes for him beating up a prick (Dolph Ziggler), a goof (Bo Dallas) or anyone else new and outside the box. Of course, it’s Big Show because you can’t get into October without him getting a noteworthy match or two. Kane vs. Seth Rollins is annoying as well but at least you knew it was coming and Rollins will wrestle everyone on the roster at some point. Brock won’t.

Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar at MSG

Tom:

I am entirely onboard with Kane stealing the Joseph Park Esq. gimmick but I don’t particularly want to see him wrestling (unless it’s against Kevin Owens, although that’s a caveat I’d add to almost everyone on the roster right now). Having said that, I’d still MUCH rather see Rollins fight Kane than Ambrose again. Let the Rollins vs. Old Lads tour continue, maybe he’ll break Ric Flair’s nose next month.

Unless Big Show vs. Brock is just the two of them hurling couches back and forth at each other, I’m not that interested. Give Lesnar a little lad to toss around!!!

Who would you rather see return to WWE for one more Wrestlemania match: Kurt Angle or Jeff Hardy?

Save them, Trips.

Tim:

TNA has ruined these two for me. Both men are VERY questionable but I’d be interested in seeing where they went with them booking-wise if they were to return. I’ve never been a huge Jeff Hardy fan although I like his paintings. I’m not sure Hardy could have a match that would entertain me at this point. Then again, I’m not even sure Angle could compete on the proper level to entertain me nowadays but I think there are more interesting match-ups for Angle… plus it’s been so long since he was in WWE. I think I would be more excited for old “Crazy” Kurt to show up for one more match.

Kurt Angle

Joey:

On the surface, the answer should be Kurt Angle since he was an elite singles performer for a long time but I’ve developed a soft spot in my wrestling heart for Jeff Hardy over the last few years. Ever since he cleaned up his act, Hardy has been very good (aside from the Willow experiment) and still has that special star appeal to him. Hardy vs. someone like Seth Rollins or Kevin Owens would be an incredible Wrestlemania match while I’m unsure if Angle has enough to give one more classic.

Jeff Hardy

Tom:

Too many years of TNA have killed my love for Jeff Hardy as a singles star, sadly. I still think there’s some potential in doing something special with The Hardys as a team for one more big run, but Kurt Angle as a singles star always meant more to me than Jeff. Also, I’ve already accepted that Kurt’s set on dying in the ring so it might as well be on the grandest stage of them all!

Kurt Angle

Who would you rather see return to WWE for one more Wrestlemania match?

Which NXT Champion will lose their title first: Finn Balor or Bayley?

Who’s NeXT.

Tim:

I would like to see Samoa Joe be booked better and more special. If that were the case I could see him taking the belt from Balor for a lengthy run as champ. As it stands now Balor is the biggest standout among the male wrestlers on that show. I guess that leads me to think Bayley will lose it quicker. They seem to have quite the line-up of women to give the belt to and hopefully she gets called up soon. She’s an incredibly special character and I figure they’ll want her on the main roster to ruin that as soon as possible.

Bayley

Joey:

I sadly think Bayley will have a short run with the Women’s Championship because when a face wins after a long chase to the title, it usually ends relatively quickly. See: Sami Zayn in NXT and Homicide in ROH for decent examples. When it comes to the NXT Championship, who can realistically beat Finn Balor and carry the NXT brand the way its growing? Kevin Owens is gone. Zayn and KENTA are hurt. Samoa Joe doesn’t have the special feel around him. Tyler Breeze is basic. Baron Corbin is Baron Corbin. Balor will hold it for a long time.

Bayley

Tom:

Hmm. HMMMMM. It’s really hard to picture who Finn will drop the title to – Joey’s point about there not being anyone to pick up the slack he’d drop is a fair one. Tyler Breeze is the most likely candidate, and I think a run as champion might do a lot for him but he still seems a step or two behind where he needs to be. As for Bayley… well, with Kana arriving, there’s someone ‘legitimate’ who could help maintain the division and I think Dana Brooke has come on a pretty good amount given the short time she’s been there, so those are two candidates who could take the title away from her.

However, there’s also a question of timing – I think the main roster is still hurting for decent top level babyfaces for guys to work with, and Balor could fill that gap nicely. However, the male NXT roster would be a bit of a joke without him. The “Divas Revolution” is a mess that won’t clear itself up for another few months at least, so I don’t imagine we’ll see Bayley being added to that situation because I think she’d be destined to be lost in the shuffle. I DON’T KNOW, MAN. Fuck it, let’s say Bayley.

Which sitcom are you looking forward to the return of: Brooklyn Nine-Nine or Last Man On Earth?

Laughter.

Tim:

While I’m bummed the captain is leaving Brooklyn 9-9, Bill Hader being his replacement really has me excited for the new season. Last Man On Earth was my favorite show on TV last season. The pilot was one of the best first episodes of a television show I have ever seen. While I thought it was amazing I do think it suffered some of the many woes you’d expect from a first season comedy. Forte’s character was TOO much of a dick that hardly ever seemed to learn a lesson but at the end of the season I think they handled him learning a lesson pretty well as well as setting up season two as a clean slate.

Will Forte and Kristen Schaal are a great pair and, from reading interviews, I think the writers know what was wrong with season one (like Parks and Recreation figured out the problem with season one and two of their show was that boring shit-head Mark Brendanawicz and the severe lack of Adam Scott). Give me more Phil and Carol and the vibe of the pilot… but also yay for more Brooklyn 9-9!

Last Man on Earth

Joey:

As someone who used to be ecstatic every time the new season of comedies were returning to television, these are the only two sitcoms I am even considering watching. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is one of the few comedies that is always easy to watch. There’s never been an episode I didn’t enjoy and the time flies watching it. Last Man On Earth showed promise last season too but it was lacking something that prevented me from loving it as much I do BK99 and my other favorites.

Also! Terry Crews.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Tom:

I watched zero Last Man On Earth, to my shame – it looked like exactly the kind of show I’d love, but I was experimenting with going without cable at the time so I ended up missing out. I liked Brooklyn Nine-Nine well enough in the first season but I lost interest in the second season pretty quickly. My problem with it is that it’s in a weird space between being a Parks and Rec-esque sitcom and a more absurd Wet Hot American Summer type deal, and I don’t think it always balances that very well. The cast is good, though I think Andy Samberg’s character is sort of weak. Make it all about Joe Lo Truglio or Terry Crews, then you’d have a winner.